Public Input Sought for Winston-Salem's Centennial Celebration

Public Input Sought for Winston-Salem's Centennial Celebration

March 8, 2012 | Keri Brown

The city of Winston-Salem is making plans to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year.

In May, 1913, the independent cities of Winston and Salem merged to create Winston-Salem.

The city has formed a centennial commission, which wants input from community members on how they would like to see the anniversary celebrated. The commission's first meeting was held last week.

Ed McNeal, Director of Marketing and Communications for the city of Winston-Salem, said the group is in the idea phase of the planning process. As of now, festivities are being discussed for January 1 and the weekend of May 9, 2013.

He said participating in the events is a great opportunity for people to learn more about the history of Winston-Salem.

"One of the great stories that we've heard was that some of the early business owners in downtown Winston-Salem were Jewish - and they would sell to black citizens on time or on credit. And there were times that these business owners would go into the banks with those black citizens and help them get loans to buy homes and other things... because of stories like these, we think over the course of this celebration people are going to be renewed as to why they love this city," said McNeal.

The centennial commission is scheduled to meet again on March 27th.

Community members are encouraged to share their ideas for the celebration through the city’s website or by calling Winston-Salem citylink at 336-727-8000.

The submission deadline is April 2.